I disconnected from the blogosphere a few weeks ago. It wasn’t an overnight decision, just one that happened slowly over time. Every day that passed had me skipping one more blog until one night I was getting ready for bed and realized I hadn’t checked up on anyone all day and I hadn’t blogged myself. Why? I’d been too busy writing, which is a wonderful thing.

This got me thinking back to when I started writing, which as most of you know was not long ago. I accomplished so much in so short a time. I wrote a lot. In the first year I finished three STs, 6 novellas, two shorts, and had several projects in various stages of completion. The reason I was so focused was because I hadn’t truly discovered the networking available on the internet. There just weren’t that many blogs out there. Then they started cropping up and there was so much information to be found. There were people to meet and things to learn. Visiting blogs was a way to connect with others, to feel less lonely in a career that requires solitude to be productive.

But boy, did it throw off my ability to be prolific. Too much time was spent clicking from here to there and not enough time was spent writing. My creativity suffered and the amount of work I was accomplishing every day really took a nosedive. It became harder to think of new stories and often I felt like I had ADD, I just couldn’t concentrate. Today I took a quick 10-minute hop around the blogs and found 4 entries saying the same thing I’m saying here. There’s no cure, to my knowledge, besides disconnecting. I haven’t had to go that far because my ambition kicked in and reminded me that I have to get the stories on paper if I hope to ever share them with you. I’m getting lost in the work again and spending far less time surfing.

However, I’m still thinking about everyone and if I haven’t stopped by your place to say hi lately, it’s not because I’m not thinking of you. I just wanted you to know that.

Alison blogged about “customer awareness” of an author’s “brand”.

When I first chose my site design I knew what I had in mind and the picture I wanted to present to readers. I didn’t know about “branding” or anything else related to marketing. I just knew I wanted readers to come to my site and know immediately what they would be getting when they read my books. This consideration also came into play with the very specific requests I had for the design of my first blog skin.

I’m curious if I’ve succeeded. Would you mind telling me if you feel I have “branded” my work effectively? Considering (except my cp’s) that you haven’t read any of my books, do you feel that you have a fairly good idea of what you’ll be getting when you read my stories?

I woke up to a very in depth crit of my chapter. There was a lot of work to be done and I sat down to do it with a sigh and a big cup of coffee. It started out a paint by numbers kind of effort. Insert this bit here, cut out this bit there, and so on and so on. And then suddenly a change I made set off a spark and I could see a different direction to take. I switched things around, cut and added, but instead of being a mindless effort, it was FUN!!! I love it when that happens. When you break through the wall and the scene starts falling into place. Not only that, but you can see how the changes you’re making now will galvanize later scenes. Suddenly a bolt of raw energy is infused in your mood and thereby your work.

And that is what a great critique does!

In case I haven’t told you lately, I really, really love being a writer.

So I’m editing ATM/STW again, right? I send it to one of my cps and she sends it back with a comment about internal coflict and readers becoming attached to characters by caring about their goals.

Oh man. We’re only on the first chapter and already I lost her. Well, that’s not true. I hadn’t lost her. I never grabbed her to begin with.

I struggled all day and half the night trying to cut what wasn’t needed and add things to make the internal conflict clearer. Thing is, I didn’t know what that was, which made it hard to add it. My cp and I had been through this before during the writing of “Her Mad Grace”. Me banging my head into the screen and her shaking her head at me across the net.

So, what’s workin’ for you? I’ll tell you what’s workin’ for me.

Me first

Nothing. Not right now. There was this once-upon-a-time when as soon as my four little monsters were tucked all snug in their beds for the nights that I’d leave my husband to his ESPN and video games and head for my PC. After login on and checking-in with my CP, we’d both get to work. Though we’d find plenty of times to stop back by to give progress reports and say hi–and chat. A lot– we were both pretty damn productive. It was working well for us. The evening hours would end and before we knew it we were in the AM. Little matter, we worked until our eyelids were sticking together before we’d shut-down and seek our own beds. Night after night we worked on little sleep, driven by the power of the written word and the desperate need to tell our H/H stories. We both had our own pace and our own projects, but shared a common need. A need to write. To sell. To succeed.

I’m not sure what happened eventually. I’d be tired. Or she would. More often than not we’d miss each other, one of us going to bed early while the other worked and the next night visa versa. We just weren’t finding a way to stay caffienated the same evenings and my production slipped. Came to a screaching-freakin’ halt. The snail chomping away at my day lilies is working at a faster rate.

I’d rather work at night. Even though there is a two and a half hour period during the mornings when all four mini-Lukes are at school, the phone rings, the neighbor’s dog won’t shut-up, and our lawn-dude does overtime. Oh, and did I mention email? Being on the west coast, by the time I sit down in the morning to open my files, I already have dozens to catch up on. And they keep coming, too. All day. But at night–PST–the emails slow way way way down.

I’d love to be able to set a schedule. I work from here to then–nothing to bother me between. Life just doesn’t seem to agree. Luckily, when I write, I write fast, so I’ve been doing most of it during short little spurts–doing a synopsis or two for a proposal in an hour. (Hey, I never said they were good ) Then playing nothing but mom and wife for days–then another little spurt of writing. Of being productive. This is SO not how I want it to be.

I’m still looking for ways to remind myself that this IS a job. It’s fun to forget–and easy to forget when you don’t get out of your pj’s. I thinking looking at it from that POV helps. Now I need to take charge and set rules.

Rules that work for me. Then stick to them

What’s workin’ for you?

GOOD — A Bloomington, IL policeman had a perfect spot to watch for speeders, but wasn’t getting many. Then he discovered the problem - a 12-year-old boy was standing up the road with a hand painted sign, which read “RADAR TRAP AHEAD”. The officer then found a young accomplice down the road with a sign reading “TIPS” and a bucket full of money. (And we used to just sell lemonade!)

BETTER — A motorist was mailed a picture of his car speeding through an automated radar post in Peoria, IL. A $40 speeding ticket was included. Being cute, he sent the police department a picture of $40. The police responded with another mailed photo… of handcuffs.

BEST — A young woman was pulled over for speeding. An Illinois State Trooper walked to her car window and flipped open his ticket book. She said, “I bet you are going to sell me a ticket to the State Troopers Ball.” He replied, “Illinois State Troopers don’t have balls.” There was a moment of silence while she smiled, and he realized what he’d just said. He then closed his book, got back in his patrol car and left. She was laughing too hard to start her car.

Drama. Good grief. My life has descended into soap operaville.

People please. This online existence we have is not the real world. It’s just online. It goes away as easily as hitting the “X” in the upper right corner of your browser and Outlook. Bye-bye. All gone. In the grand scheme of life, all of this is just… here. Take it or leave it. But for cripes sake, I recommend leaving it. Drama is best left to your H and h. They thrive off it. Sylvia withers and can’t take it. Really. I don’t have the constitution for it.

Hugs and sunshine and love to everybody.

On a completely unrelated note, I’ve noticed that many bloggers have two sections in their sidebars–”Blogs” and “Authors”. I haven’t made into the “Author” category of most blogs (Sasha calls me a “Favorite Author” and I love her for that. ), but I aspire to make it on your blog. What do you think about that? *g*

So as I work on my next story know that I am thinking of all of your blogs and striving to be a writer whose work you like enough to add to your “Author” list.

What small thing do you aspire to? Is there any little thing you hope to attain on your road to greater success?